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Old 06-22-2021, 03:17 PM   #1
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Technical Grappling: should right arm + right hand be able to grapple separate limbs?

Got thinking about this marveling at the choreography during an episode of Amphibia where Sasha seems to basically do that: https://youtu.be/3olgBTCjGjc (11 seconds)

The primary grapple is of course Sasha's right hand grabbing Anne's upper right arm, but given how Sasha's right elbow is wrapped around Anne's left forearm/elbow it seems like possibly some kind of secondary grapple could be attempted.

Maybe not in this case specifically (there's a bit of a gap) but it's close enough to illustrate the point, and I think I may have seen some wrestling moves like this, where the upper arm is used to grapple one of the opponent's upper arms (near the shoulder) and the hand is used to grapple the opposite, giving a sort of "two for one" deal, letting you use your other arm for something else.

In this case where there is an air gap I think it instead illustrates another point: when wielding a weapon two-handed, even if one arm is grappled, so much as that impedes the movement of your weapon, it could be extension impede the movement of the other arm also grappling that weapon?

It is probably possible for example to throw an elbow strike at an opponent in close combat whilst wielding a longer sword (though there should probably be some kind of penalty to do it compared to doing an elbow strike unarmed) but I can't imagine Anne using her left arm to Elbow Strike without letting go of the sword's handle and pulling it free of the "elbow loop" (for lack of better word) enclosing it.

In fact even though there's no "elbow contact" (visible air gap) this might exhibit a sort of "no-contact grapple" of the left-arm via positioning (wasn't there a Pyramid kinda related to this?) as Anne's left wrist cannot move laterally or vertically, only forward/back on a single plane:
1) Anne's right arm is blocking movement to Anne's right
2) Sasha's right arm is blocking movement to Anne's left
3) Sasha's elbow is blocking downward movement
4) Sasha's armpit is blocking upward movement
This also exhibits a pretty advanced version of a Quick-Swap (MA51) as Sasha ignores the "receiving hand must be empty" by catching a sword with a hand already holding one.

Perhaps that would be possible by also selecting the Akimbo perk (PU2p5) ?

Someone without the Quick-Swap perk I figure would need to use a Ready maneuver (or perhaps two attack maneuvers, one to throw and one to catch?) instead, while if you did allow someone to catch a sword with a hand already holding one, I figure there should be at least a "-2 for doing two things at once" penalty?

That of course requires a DX roll to modify (readies generally ignore those) so I could see something like a basic DX+10 for "my hands are physically touching as I pass something from one to the other" while perhaps no bonus (or use attack maneuver?) if it's literally airborne as you swap them?

The one thing I'm not sure how to cover is: it seems like there should be some chance of dropping your 1st sword if you badly bungle your attempt to grapple a 2nd sword, since you have to actually open your hand to do it. Is that something that should just be reserved as crit-fail-flavoring?
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amphibia, anne boonchuy, dual-weapon attack, sasha waybright, technical grappling

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